Government organized non-government organization: The Case of Uzbekistan in Berkeley

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Government organized non-government organization: The Case of Uzbekistan

Government organized non-government organization: The Case of Uzbekistan Lecture | April 27 | 4-5:20 p.m. | Stephens Hall, 270 Stephens | Note change in time Speaker/Performer: Alisher Abidjanov, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, The School for Advanced and International Studies at of the Johns Hopkins University Sponsor: Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Institute of (ISEEES) One of the most important elements of a democratic state is its civil society. The majority of modern western social-scientists claim civil society is necessary for democracy. The existence of civil society in undemocratic states is not so obvious and clear. Here there is a wide range of opinions. Dr. Abidjanov will discuss the phenomenon of Government Organized Non-Government Organizations (GONGOs). These organizations formally are NGOs and appear to be classical elements of civil society. But at the same time they are checked and controlled by the state, and they are financed by the state. Such organizations in Uzbekistan are widespread. Dr. Abidjanovs hypothesis is that in the conditions of Uzbekistan these organizations (GONGOs) only appear to be elements of civil society, even though the Uzbek government considers them to be classical institutions of civil society and points to them as evidence of the democratization of society. Is this claim by the government a political slogan or a factual statement Dr. Abidjanov argues that these institutions are best understood as state institutions and that the governments claims are merely political slogans, because these GONGOs are not allowed to act independently.

Dr. Alisher Abidjanov (Uzbekistan) is an Associate Professor at the School of Philosophy, the National University of Uzbekistan. He holds BA, MA and Ph.D. degrees in Philosophy from the National University of Uzbekistan where he currently teaches courses in Philosophy of Law, Political Philosophy, and Theory of Civil Society. Dr. Abidjanovs research interests include theory of civil society, social changes in the transition period in Central Asia, and political culture and the democratization process. During the 2002-2003 academic year and spring of 2004, Dr. Abidjanov was a visiting research professor at The George Washington University, affiliated with the Research Program in Social and Organizational Learning. He is an author of numerous articles some of which he co-authored with Dr. Laura Adams of the Harvard University. From 2003 to 2007 Dr. Abidjanov was a Program Coordinator at the University of Washington office in Tashkent. In 2009-10 Academic year he is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at SAIS, the Johns Hopkins University. Event Contact: 510-642-3230